On November 5, the government finally announced its long-awaited plans to restore arts education in our schools, which were warmly welcomed by arts advocates across the country.

But that same day, there was another piece of news: my local university in Nottingham, the city my family and I call home, announced proposals to suspend its music courses.This short-sighted decision demonstrates how much further we have to go before the arts are truly seen as an essential ingredient to a healthy society, not an optional extra.

And these decisions don’t just affect the young people whose opportunities are quietly disappearing. It matters for us all, because it is artists who get to tell our stories, and create the culture we live in.

I’ve spent my own life surrounded by music. Having spent the first few years of my life in Sierra Leone, everything was about music and dance, and moving to Wales aged eight, choirs, brass bands, and singing were still everywhere. I grew up thinking music was simply something everyone did.

So when I had children of my own, I wanted them to have the same opportunities. Now I am a mother to seven world-class classical musicians. I’ve watched them grow, learn, and gain confidence through music, and I know firsthand how access to the arts can transform lives.

But I also know how fragile that access is, and the threat to music provision in Nottingham is a devastating example. As a family that has benefited so much from the wealth of music here, we are heartbroken to hear of the plans to close the university’s music department. This will deal a colossal blow to music education, performance, and sustainability in Nottinghamshire and its impact will be deep and far-reaching.

And unfortunately, Nottingham is not an isolated case.

This local struggle reflects a national trend of systemic devaluing of the arts. Arts subjects now make up their lowest share of GCSE and A-level entries since 2010. Cultural venues – music venues, cinemas, youth clubs – are closing faster than they can open. Despite our global reputation for culture and heritage, the UK spends among the least on culture in Europe.

But here’s the thing I’ve learned as a writer, teacher, and mother: public love for the arts isn’t the problem. People care, and deeply. What’s missing is organisation. We must capture that care, gather it, and use it to change the conditions that shape all of our cultural lives.

That’s why I’ve joined the Campaign for the Arts (CFTA), the only independent organisation putting the public at the heart of arts advocacy. CFTA doesn’t represent institutions or the industry; it represents people. It produces robust, reliable research, pairs it with a bold, public-facing vision for what the arts could be in this country, and goes on to inspire and mobilise hundreds of thousands of people.

Up to now, much of our work has been reactive – fighting closures and funding cuts, in Nottingham and beyond. But to truly change the story, nationally, locally, and politically, we have to move from firefighting to future-building. We have to set the agenda, not just defend what’s left of it.

To fuel this crucial gear shift in 2026, CFTA is right now holding its Big Festive Fundraiser. Our independence is our biggest asset, as we have never relied on government or corporate funding.

And now we have the incredible opportunity of matched giving through the Big Give Christmas Challenge: every single donation you make right now will be doubled, turning one pound of your care into two pounds of real change.

Remember, remember the 5th November: the day the government announced their plan to restore the arts in schools, and my local university decided to suspend music.

Clearly, the fight is far from over. We need your help to build a society where the arts are valued and available to all – there for everyone, made by everyone, part of everyone.

Please support CFTA’s Big Festive Fundraiser with the Big Give Christmas Challenge today, and help make that vision a reality.